Yankees Trade Target: Starting Pitcher Drew Pomeranz

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz checks all the boxes of what the New York Yankees are looking for at the upcoming August 1st trade deadline.

With their reported focus on acquiring young, controllable starting pitching over the past year, it’s safe to assume the New York Yankees will check in on all the notable under-30 starters made available at this year’s trade deadline. One pitcher whose name has been popping up frequently over the last month and who recently ranked 13th on MLBTR’s list of Top 25 Trade Candidates is San Diego’s Drew Pomeranz.

The 27-year-old lefthander is no stranger to being a trade chip. He’s been the centerpiece of three different deals in his young career. After being selected in the first round of the 2010 draft (fifth overall) by the Cleveland Indians, Pomeranz was the player to be named later in the trade to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies.

Following three up-and-down seasons in Colorado, Pomeranz was shipped to the Oakland Athletics along with Chris Jensen for starting pitcher Brett Anderson. He was good when healthy for the A’s, but struggled to stay on the mound. Most recently, he was sent to San Diego along with Jose Torres and Jabari Blash for Yonder Alonso. 

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Finally healthy, Drew Pomeranz is on his way to a career year in 2016. With 102 innings pitched in the first half, he’s already surpassed his previous career-high of 96.2 set back in 2012. As of Friday, he ranked sixth among qualified National League starters with a 2.47 ERA, seventh in strikeouts per nine innings with 10.15, and eighth with 2.5 wins above replacement (fWAR).

Maybe the biggest factor behind Pomeranz’s transition to ace-hood is his increased reliance on his nasty knuckle curve. He throws it more than any other pitch this year at 39.3% (up from 23.6% and 30.7% the previous two seasons) and the results have been excellent. He pairs it with a low 90’s fastball, and will also occasionally mix in a changeup.

Pomeranz has always had the tools to be a frontline starter, so there’s no real reason not to believe in his performance this season. With his injury history, durability is certainly a concern, but acquiring a pitcher is always going to be a crapshoot. Another issue could be the transition away from the NL, as well as leaving spacious Petco Park behind.

The price is also going to be extremely high for any team looking to acquire Pomeranz. As with Wil Myers, he is young enough and has enough team control remaining that it’s conceivable the Padres could just choose to build around him. They have no reason not to listen to offers, but they do not have to move him if no one meets their price. 

Any trade for Pomeranz would mean surrendering multiple top prospects. The upside is that perhaps no other available starting pitcher has his upside. Acquiring Pomeranz would give the Yankees another ace to pair with Masahiro Tanaka at the top of the rotation and immediately put them back in the discussion for the American League’s best rotation.

Next: Will the Yankees Reunite with Old Friend Joba Chamberlain?

With an additional move or two this winter, it’s easy to see a Pomeranz trade pushing the Yankees back into contention for 2017, or even helping with a last minute run for the Wild Card this season. Would GM Brian Cashman be willing to surrender his hard-earned prospect depth? It’s difficult to read which direction the Yankees will ultimately go. The next month should be a lot of fun.